The purpose of this publication is to provide practical support to Member States in the field of age assessment.

On 27 May 2025, the Belgian Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) participated in a capacity-building session on guardianship and the quality of care for asylum-seeking children in the context of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The seminar was organised by the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC), in collaboration with OKaJu (Ombudsman for Children in Luxembourg – Ombudsman fir Kanner a Jugendlecher) and the Luxembourgish Contact Point to the EMN. The aim of the session was to discuss the impact of the new Pact on children in asylum procedures.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in the case of F.B. v. Belgium, finding that Belgium failed to provide sufficient procedural safeguards in the decision-making process regarding the applicant’s age assessment. The Court concluded that this process violated her right to respect for private life under Article 8 of the European Convention. In particular, it highlighted the lack of informed consent and the failure to explore less intrusive methods before conducting medical tests.

This multistakeholder meeting, jointly organized by the Council of Europe and the EMN Luxembourg within the framework of the EMN Platform on Statelessness, will allow participants to share good practices and challenges on topics including the age assessment and best interest of the child; the burden of proof in the special case of children and the access to nationality for children.